New Hampshire's legislature has passed House Bill 295, to protect physicians' rights to determine the most appropriate treatment protocol for their patients. NH residents who have Lyme or are closely connected to someone who has Lyme are requested to contact the governor.

LYME DISEASE BILL GOES TO GOVERNOR!!

House Bill 295 seeks to protect physicians’ rights to determine the most appropriate treatment protocol for their patients. New Hampshire residents need HB 295 to safeguard their choice in treatment of Lyme disease. NH doctors are under pressure from the medical community and insurance companies to treat with very limited antibiotic regimen, according to the Infectious Disease Society of America which denies the existence of chronic Lyme disease.

HB295 STATUS:

After an 18-month journey, the Lyme Disease bill, HB295, cleared the House and is on its way to the Governor for his signature to become law. The full House concurred with Lyme-friendly amendments made by the Senate and passed HB295 on May 18 on a voice vote.

The bill now goes to the Governor, the first time in 18 months that we have been able to put Lyme legislation on the Governor’s desk for signature. We will need the participation of the whole Lyme community to impress upon the Governor how important this bill is to the Lyme community, so that he signs the bill without hesitation.

URGENT ACTION ITEM:

CALL GOVERNOR LYNCH AND ASK HIM TO SIGN HB295

URGENT ACTION NEEDED:

Call Governor Lynch

Feel free to use the following scripts to contact Governor Lynch to request that he sign House Bill 295, the Lyme disease bill. Because you will not be speaking directly with the Governor when you call, please indicate that you are a New Hampshire resident who has Lyme disease (or a New Hampshire resident who has a friend or family member with Lyme disease). Please keep the message simple and focused on your request for him to sign the bill. While HB295 just passed the House today, and will take a couple days to reach the Governor’s desk, it is still not too early to call the Governor’s office and request that he sign HB295. We would like to overwhelm the Governor’s office with polite but firm requests for passage. We need to make our voices heard NOW more than ever. The Governor needs to recognize that residents with Lyme disease deserve to have treatment available in New Hampshire.

It’s best to call the Governor’s office during the day (see contact information below). If you would like to follow up your phone call with an email, fax or postal mail, it is also imperative to note that you are a New Hampshire resident. Please be respectful of the amount of time you take on the call.

Governor Lynch’s contact information:

Telephone:      (603)271-2121

Fax:               (603)271-7640

Email:             http://www4.egov.nh.gov/governor/goveforms/comments.asp

Postal Mail:   

Office of the Governor

State House 

107 North Main Street 

Concord, NH 03301

SAMPLE PHONE SCRIPT:

“Hello, my name is ________ and I am a New Hampshire resident whose life has been touched by Lyme disease. I want to thank the Governor for proclaiming May as Lyme Awareness Month for the past four years, and for previously indicating that he would support a Lyme disease bill if it reached his desk. House Bill 295, pertaining to Lyme disease, has been passed by the House and the Senate on voice votes and will be before the Governor for signature. I respectfully request that the Governor sign HB295 so that New Hampshire Lyme victims can finally get the treatment they need in New Hampshire. Thank you for your time.

YOU CAN FOLLOW YOUR PHONE CALL WITH AN EMAIL, FAX OR POSTAL MAIL  

SAMPLE LETTER:

Copy and paste the letter below OR draft your own letter and use it. The important thing is to ask for the Governor to sign HB295.

Your name _________

Address ___________

Date ______________

Dear Governor Lynch,

I am a New Hampshire resident whose life has been touched by Lyme disease. Thank you for proclaiming May as Lyme Awareness Month for the past four years, and for previously indicating that you would support a Lyme disease bill if it reached your desk. House Bill 295, pertaining to Lyme disease, has been passed by the House and the Senate on voice votes and will be before you for signature. I respectfully request that you sign HB295 so that New Hampshire Lyme victims can finally get the treatment they need in New Hampshire. Thank you in advance for giving serious and thoughtful consideration to passage of this bill.

___________________________ (your name)

To all in the Lyme Community: It has been a long journey, but only one step remains – the Governor’s signature. Throughout this journey, your involvement in the process has made the difference. Now, more than ever, we need one more all out effort from you to urge the Governor to sign HB295. Let’s not let up until HB295 becomes law! Please pass this message along. Thank you for all you have done, and all you continue to do!

The New Hampshire Lyme Legislation Committee

Rep. Gary Daniels (HB295 sponsor)

Nancy Bourassa

Julie Hall

David Hunter

Cathy Kettmann

Greg Kettmann